'Human safaris' threaten the future of the Jarawa tribe in the Andaman
Islands. Oliver Smith reports.

A campaign group has given warning that tours to see the Jarawa people in the Andaman Islands are threatening the survival of the indigenous tribe, which has inhabited parts of the islands for thousands of years.

Survival International, which campaigns on behalf of tribal groups throughout the world, claims that at least eight local travel companies are continuing to offer what it describes as "human safaris".

Trips to see the Jarawa are banned under Indian law because of the risk of spreading disease among the tribe, whose 300 remaining members have little immunity to common illnesses.

There are regulations in place that prevent outsiders from interacting with or taking photographs of the Jarawa. However, Survival International claims that local operators are flouting these rules. Some package trips are advertised as "geological tours", but feature excursions to the Jarawa reserve in their itineraries.

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"Tourists – some Westerners but mostly from the Indian mainland – travel through the reserve on a daily basis," said Miriam Ross, a Survival International campaigner. "Since 1999, there have been two measles epidemics, with reports of at least one death."

She added that in 2002 the Supreme Court of India ordered the closure of the Grand Andaman Trunk Road, the entry point for tour groups into the reserve, but local authorities continue to permit its use.

Stephen Corry, the organisation's director, said the future of the tribe was under threat. "The Jarawa people lived successfully on the island without contact with outsiders for probably about 55,000 years," he said. "Today, a road runs right through their forest home, and they risk decimation by disease."

He said the fate of the Jarawa could echo that of the neighbouring Bo tribe, which has been wiped out since the arrival of British colonisers in 1858. The last speaker of the Bo language died in January.

Survival International's warning follows an article by Andrew Lycett, published in The Sunday Times last weekend, describing a day trip to the Jarawa reserve, organised by Island Travels, a tour operator based in Port Blair. Mr Lycett said that seeing the Jarawa people was the reason he took the tour.

Although Island Travels says its excursion is to see limestone caves and mud volcanoes, the itinerary takes holidaymakers to areas where there is a chance of coming face to face with the tribe. Mr Lycett described a minor altercation between an Indian guide and a member of the Jarawa, who attempted to take something from inside the tour vehicle.

Ms Ross described the story as "irresponsible".

"It states that contacting the Jarawa is illegal, but then suggests how tourists can bypass this law," she said. "It even offers the contact details of a local tour company which can assist you."

Rachel Noble, of the pressure group Tourism Concern, said: "Tour operators profit from running the tours, the tourists get their trophy photographs, but what do the indigenous peoples gain from the encounter?

"Their perfectly reasonable expectation to receive something in exchange often draws a blank from tourists, who have, as far as they're concerned, already paid. This naturally leads to resentment and tensions, often resulting in the type of aggressive incident described in the piece. For this kind of tourism to be encouraged is shameful."

Greaves Travel, which arranged Mr Lycett's trip to the Andaman Islands, said it did not condone any activities that jeopardised local indigenous peoples and had nothing to do with his tour through the Jarawa reserve. It added that tourism to the Andaman Islands was of great benefit to the local economy.

A spokesman for Island Travels confirmed that there was a chance of seeing tribe members during its tours, but denied that it permitted holidaymakers to make contact with them or take photographs.